Tent-pole



D. F. WHITT.

' TENT POLE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19, I919- 1,830,363. Patented Feb. 10,1920.

Q VENTOR [ATTORNEY v the city of'Louisville, countyof Jefierson,

ground,- they are usually UNITED T E ATENT QFFICR noizori Y rjwiiir'r, or LonisviLLEQKniT-ruoKvI TENT-fOLE;

Te all-whom it may concern:

Be it known that-L DOROTHY F. W'Hri'r, a citizen of the United States, residing in and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tent-Poles,

of which the following is a specification. This invention relatesfto tent-poles.

Tents are shelters made of flexible ma terial-us'ually canvas or other coarse Woven fabric, supported by a pole "or poles, and stretched by cords, of ropes, that are secured to pegs, or pins,

set up in clear weather and the cords ,are drawn tauti When the canvasbecomes wet, as in case of rain, it shrinks or contracts, thereby exerting great stress upon all connections and resulting at times in: the breaking of the cords and rending of the canvas. Conse-. quently it is customary to loosen the cords when rain threatens; As the tent dries the parts expand to their normal condition and the cords have to be drawn taut again. At times the rain comes-up suddenly, or during the night, and the inmates of the tent are not inclined to go out in the rain to loosen the cords and damage results.

An object of this invention is to provide means adapted to be pole which will keep the canvas and cordage under proper tension at all times, yielding under excess stres as it shrinkswhen wet and expanding and taking up the slack as it dries. 1

Another object is to provide means su'ch" as characterized which will be economical in construction,

durable and efficient in service.

construction as illustrated in the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification V embodiment of the invention, but it is-to be understood that such changes and modificabodying the invention;

tions may be resorted to as come within the scope of the appended claims In the drawings wherein characters designate like-parts inthe several views, Figure of a tent which is upheld by a pole cm- Fig. 2, 'a side elevation of a pole equipped parts being brokenaway tion; Fig. 3,

and parts in seei Specification'ef Lettei's iatenti' t;- Pa,tght ed Application jfiled September 13, 1919.

driven into" the of wooden. poles.

'13- adapted to be grooves, or channels, each 'sists of three connected passages 15,' 16 and 17 which extend respectively spaced associated with a tent bers may 1 s wherein is set forth an 7 i enter the grooves like reference 'p l, is a perspective view ,to enter that passage and the with the invention,"

a perspective view of the restiai no, 324,805. a cep'tive member of a perspective view of tlfle entrant member thereof. r

The inventioncomprises-a pair of members the 2tCl]O1Il1I1g ends of whichever-lap with each other,

andare slidably engaged v and a resilient'element assoc ated tliere-' ywitli and adapted to' resist longitudinal movement of the members relative to each preferably tubular,

serve as a tent-pole,; or they maybe of a reduced length and QR-eferring now rto the drawings there fer:

encef:numeral l-0 designates a tent of conventional design, which is 'upheldby a tent-pole ve'ntion. As illustrated herewith the device comprises two tubular members. -12+ and telescopically engaged. as 12, is provided with" One of the members, 7 I a pair of oppositely disposed interior of which condistances longitudinally, circumferentially and then longitudinally of the tube. The other, orentrant member, is provided near its end'with twooppositely disposed extebe afiixed to the ends net. 10,1920;

thedevice; i,

rior projections -18 which are adapted forming a bayonet 'joint'whereby the memrib 19- which serve as" abutments against "to be engaged in the; aforesaid grooves, J

be readily engaged and disenj Each member is provided inter-f which the ends of a suitable resilient ele-.

ment such' as a" coilspring -20 seat. interposed between the ends of the springs nd the abutments. With a spring inserted in one of the membersfas 13, the other pressure exerted thereon compressing I the spring and causing the, projections 18 to 'serted in the outer ends of the two members and secured therein by suitable means 1 00- member is placedover it and 1 v15', until they reach the I two members v Secsuch as screws -Q3-' which are passed 65 other -iin one-direction. "The in'embersare v and are telescopically engaged, they may be ofsucli lengthasto;

through perforations The size of the tubing and the strength of the springis proportioned to the duty the pole is to stand, thespring being such that it will support the tent co, ering under normal conditions Without yielding, but under extra stress caused "by contraction 7 thereof, when wet, it Will yield the pro ection slid- 111g down the groove 17 and'as the covering dries and stretches it Will expand thereby taking uptheslacl: keeping it and its coni nection's taut at all times.

- The assemblage as herein described, coinprising lthe, interlocked telescoping men'i inclosed spring may be desired point and there afbers with the shipped to any fixed to poles already in service thereby se-- curlngthejadvantages-of the improved devicewithout incurring the expenseof new poles. Having thus described the invention. so

' that anyone skilled in the art pertaining thereto can make andnse' the same,-I

claim I v 1. In combination With a tent pole con sisting of two sections,.a pair of tubular members adapted to be affixed respectively ,to opposed ends of said sections, said members adapted to be telescopically engaged, an internal 1 annular shoulder intermediate the length of each of the members, interengaging means adapted to prevent separainovement thereo'fi and 2. In combination witha tent members adapted to be atlixed respectively to the opposed endsof SlltlfSBCtlOnS, the

lGClPlODtJDBHlbQl' having a pair of dianietri'cally; opposed internal grooves extended IHWfll'd fI'OID the free end, thereof longitudinally ai spacecl distance then circumferentially a spaced distance then longitu 'dina-lly a the entrant member adapted to be engaged in said groove, an internal annular shoulder interniedlate the spaced distance, a pair of dia metrically opposed GXt QIIQIVPIOIIGCtIO IIS on len th of eachiot' the members, and a spr ng disposed with n the members and seating on 'said shoulders.-

DonorHY VF. WHIZPT. 

